Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

That does look a lot like a BB gearbox hanging off the intermediate stage of the gearing.

Ever year I'm impressed by the Beachbots ability to pump out amazing robots that look so incredibly clean and simple

Unfortunately I won't be able to see much of its debut with my team competing this weekend, but hopefully some video will get posted afterwards.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Thanks everyone!

It's actually a photo with the background whited out.

Will do.

The fisher price on the arm will never die :p

We went through the same system design process as usual. We still considered different design types (arm vs. lift), but ultimately ended with the same answer. We combined our past experiences and lessons learned from 2007 which accelerated some aspects of the design process and allowed us to greatly improve on our 2007 bot. This robot is more efficient and easier to drive.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Really? The claw looks too pretty to be real. :)

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

I thought the same thing at first...

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Someone should ask it that after it gets out of the bag.

(OK, so it's in the bag in the crate for transport to Arizona right now...)

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

So, Let me get this straight, y'all have 3 robots?! 2 practice and 1 competition?

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

From left to right:

2011 Practice Robot, 2011 Competition Robot, 2007 Competition Robot (without ramps)

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Wonderful. Insert "great minds think alike" comment here. :)

How does it extend over the bumper? Is it similar to Shaker's arm?

We were generally happy with the arm design this year. Our problems with it at WPI were chalked up to a lack of driver practice and coordination: you need that to grip the tubes in an ideal location. Also, our PVC arm had a lot of flex which contributed to an already harder-to-control long arm system.

Of course, 330's ace in their sleeve is always their driving, so I guarantee they will do amazingly with this design.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

While the end result does look very similar to 2007, there are a lot of subtle changes to make it play this year's game better and meet this year's rules. Had we decided to just do what we had done before, we'd be at a disadvantage compared to everyone else. Getting all the geometry right was quite a challenge.

• The bottom paddle has been optimized to pick tubes off the ground much better then 2007 ever could.
• The arm extends to meet the bumper perimeter requirements and still floor load.
• The main arm structure is at an angle to allow room for the minibot deployment.
• Jaguars on the drive train make it move much more smoothly then 2007 did.
• 8WD makes it the hardest robot to push that we've ever made.

There's probably a lot more that I'm not aware of.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

There is a 12" stroke, 3/4" bore air cylinder tucked inside the arm which extends and retracts it.

We had used PVC back in 2005 for the arm, but for rigidity and ease of mating components (square aluminum extrusion for lower portion of arm), we opted for a fiberglass tube. We are using the same fiberglass tube for 2011 as we did in 2007.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

The reason I asked is because 330 is known for spending a lot of time in design/strategic discussions before picking up a single tool. I figured you would do the same this year even though you could use 2007 as inspiration. I've always wanted to be able to sit in on some of your sessions and learn, learn, learn how to approach a design and the reasons behind the approach. It would be fascinating. :)

Jane

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Getting the arm rigid enough to overcome a low bending mode is something I have seen many teams fail at doing successfully. You guys seem to have nailed it! I heard that Joe can nail the positioning within 1cm or so.

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Shane,
Looks great!

We got the same drawer slides and setup, battery and compressor in exact same spots, and similar claws. :rolleyes:

Is that a triple reduction I see?

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Looking really nice, can't wait to see you guys in LA

Re: Team 330 Presents - Beach 'Bot 2011
 

Looks like a double reduction off the gearbox with another gear for tensioning/position sensing.

I'll see about watching any webcast on Friday or Saturday if I can...